Carlos in front of Bellevue College Carlos received his Transfer Degree in Arts & Science at Bellevue College in January and will walk across the stage at the ceremony this June.  “I never give up,” Carlos shared. “There were times I didn't want to continue. I wanted to drop the towel, you know. But I kept going forward and forward.” Carlos, who has worked with two different Education Advocates, including Erra, his current one, said, “It was nice to have someone who helped me see the way of doing things. I swear if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here right now.” Born in Mexico, Ca ..read more

“I dream about having a secret library in my forever home. A place for me to have me-time.” — Natalie “I would like to become a professional Cyber Security consultant.” — Alejandro “I want to find a boyfriend and I want to finish a Bachelors degree here in Washington.” — Ricardo “I’m dreaming big about opening a pen factory in my country after completing my bachelor’s degree.” — Youhani     “I’m passionate about doing research in the field of Psychology to potentially change how mental health is viewed. The current treatment model incentivizes providers to look at a person’s symptom ..read more

MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced Northwest Education Access as one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s awardees working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States. Northwest Education Access was among those to receive the highest award amount of $2 million, and one of only 10 organizations in Washington to receive the award.   In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an Open Call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through f ..read more

The Dr. Anil K. Mody Scholarship provides college scholarships to Northwest Education Access enrolled women of color in the King County region. Since 2015, the Dr. Anil K. Mody Fund has supported 46 women of color on their postsecondary journey! Each Mody Scholarship recipient receives free academic advising, career counseling, tutoring, books, technology access, and mentoring. In addition, each student is paired with an Education Advocate who is physically located on the student’s college campus. These Advocates work with students to identify potential barriers to their academic success, add ..read more

“I am passionate to help [students] get their high school or GED and help them start their careers. I completely understand their situation as they have lived through a very difficult childhood, and they are looking to get out of the “spiral of helplessness,” and they are trying to turn their lives around. I feel their pain as I came to this country over 40 years ago, and I had no money or any contacts, and I went to school while working through numerous menial jobs, and I worked hard to graduate and develop a successful career. My wife and I have raised two outstanding young men who are enjoy ..read more

From Northwest Education Student Dafne: Last month, I received my Bachelors in sociology with a minor in gender studies at UW as a first-generation college graduate. My 7 year journey to get here was not easy. In 2016 I graduated high school, knowing community college was my best option. Without any guidance to navigate this new system, I struggled. At this time, a student at Bellevue College overheard my situation and connected me to a Northwest Education Access Advocate partner with the college. I had many advocates over the years, but they each welcomed me with open arms. With immense suppo ..read more

20 years. 240 months. 1,040 weeks…you get the point—this is a big milestone! Jeff Corey, Program Director I have been a part of the team with NW Education Access for over 10 years (520 weeks) as an Education Advocate and now as a Program Director. I could not be more thrilled about where we are as an organization. The values that drive us are the same as the day I started, but we continue to find creative new ways to support students, staff members, and our community. One aspect of this growth that has me really excited is our capacity-building efforts through community partnerships.  Wh ..read more

By: Cam Tu Nguyen July marks my four months as the Volunteer Services Manager at Northwest Education Access and I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a fun, professional, and supportive community.  I have worked in direct service all my life with first-generation students across various non-profits throughout Pierce and King country. With the new volunteer manager role, I’ve thought about how my experiences have influenced me to take on developing the volunteer program at NW Education Access and where I envision it to be.  My first major volunteering manageme ..read more

By: Sheen H I started my quest for higher education back in 2010 when I aged out of Rhyther Child Center. I lived at shelters such as ROOTS, Orion Center, and the YMCA. There were always different people from community organizations around and sometimes they would be cool enough to talk to. I was told to visit a small office called Seattle Education Access (SEA) that could help young adults with understanding the college process. I met with Polly, the executive director at the time, and she helped me understand what college was for and assigned me an advocate who helped make school go more smo ..read more

By: Konto Southisombath It was a summer night, and I was ten years old. I sat on the living room floor, rubbing my mother’s tense shoulders and sore back. It must have been a particularly grueling day at the farm because the Tiger Balm, a topical pain reliever balm and Laotian household staple, was immediately brought out after dinner and put to good use. It was my job to make sure that the aches and pains born from my mother’s twelve plus hour workday in the fields didn’t seep into the next day. Even though I knew that doing this wasn’t much, I always made sure to do the best I could. Despite ..read more